Stuart Nash is Napier MP.
It's no secret that we live in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Just two weeks ago, National Geographic listed our beautiful country as one of the top places to visit in 2022 – they highlighted our unique celebration of Matariki as well as us hosting this year's Rugby World Cup.
This comes after Lonely Planet named Auckland the number one city to visit in 2022! The word is out about our little slice of paradise, but it doesn't hurt to remind people every now and then – especially because our borders are finally open to visa waiver countries, and soon to be open to all tourists at the end of July.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is currently in the United States on a trade and tourism trip.
As Tourism Minister I know that this trip will send a clear message: New Zealand is back and open for business. As US visitors are beginning to make plans now to arrive in time for our summer (their winter), it's a great opportunity to remind Americans of everything we have to offer.
This is an important trip, as the US was our third-largest tourist market in pre-Covid times, so it's key that US businesses, tourists, and skilled workers have New Zealand at the front of their minds as the world recovers from Covid and opens up.
This trip follows a successful Budget last week, where I announced some excellent new initiatives for the tourism sector.
This includes $54.2 million for the Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery, which supports our vision for more sustainable tourism, as well as over $5m to support more than 60 i-SITE visitor centres; along with the tourism trade show TRENZ; and Regional Tourism New Zealand, the umbrella body for our 31 regional tourism organisations.
The investment in these core tourism networks will help maximise opportunities for businesses, workers, and local communities as we gear up for the return of international travellers.
As some of you may know, the PM is a bit of a celebrity overseas, and she has a very busy agenda while in the US.
This includes meeting with the UN Secretary-General, editors of top tourism magazines in New York City, and an appearance on the hugely popular The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The PM also visited Washington DC meeting with senior members of the US Senate, as well as gave the keynote speech at the Harvard Commencement ceremony.
She'll end the tour in San Francisco, where after meeting with the governor of California, she'll meet with executives from the top tech companies, including Twitter, Microsoft, and Amazon.
The PM is our greatest advocate for Aotearoa, and I'm sure this trip will remind Americans that our country should be at the top of their list when planning a trip for 2022.
With our 200km of cycle trails, world-renowned wineries, and iconic Art Deco architecture in Hawke's Bay, I know that tourists will be itching to visit us later this year – and we'll be right there to welcome them with our famous hospitality!
Stuart Nash is Napier MP